The Value of Worshipping God Through an Idol

Question: Is it necessary to worship images? Why do some religious texts oppose image worship?

Sri Mata Amritananamdayi Devi (Amma): We are not worshipping the image as such. Through the image, we worship God, who is all-pervading. The image symbolizes God; it is a means for us to make our minds one-pointed. We show our children pictures of a parrot and a mynah bird, and tell them, “That is a parrot, and that is a mynah bird.” This is necessary when the children are very young. Once they grow older, they no longer need those pictures to recognize the birds. Similarly, in the beginning, certain tools are necessary to help the mind turn inward. As one progresses in one’s spiritual practice, the mind learns to become one-pointed without relying on such aids. Focusing on an image is a good way to train the mind to become one-pointed. Moreover, we cannot say that God is not present in the image. God pervades all living and nonliving things. So God is also in the image. Image worship is a way of training people to see God in all sentient and insentient beings, and to cultivate an attitude of love and service toward the world.

Imagine that a man gives a present to the woman he loves. I may be something worth only five paise, but to the woman who receives the gift, it is worth infinitely more than that. For, to her, it is imbued with her beloved.

We don’t allow anyone to spit on the national flag or of political party, even though the cloth itself may be worth only a few rupees. A flag isn’t just a piece of cloth, for once that cloth has been given the status of a flag, it represents a great ideal. We honor the flag because of our love and respect for the ideal it symbolizes.

Similarly, it is God Himself that we see in the image we worship. The image serves as a reflection of the Divine Consciousness within us. We pray before the image with our eyes closed. The image helps us to turn our minds inward toward the indwelling God--the Divine Consciousness.

Even religions that oppose image worship do, in fact, worship images in one way or another. When a Christian worships the form of Jesus on the cross, or when a Muslim prays facing toward the Kaaba, those are also forms of image worship.

The negative side of image worship is that the worshipper can become attached to the image only, without understanding the principle behind it. But once people grasp the principle by listening to spiritual discourses and studying the scriptures, there is no problem.

We should try to provide an opportunity for spiritual education in all of our temples.